Gears 5’s Hollow Storm update launches today. In its biggest update yet, the Xbox-exclusiveGears 5is getting new maps, new characters and more.
After only about a week since the release of the game’smassive Xbox Series X update,Gears 5is getting its biggest single batch of post-launch content ever. This marks developer The Coalition’s fifth operation (aka expansion) since originally releasing the game in July 2019.
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Hollow Storm brings five maps, seven characters, and several adjustments to classes in PvE modes. There are two new maps, Nexus and Regency, along with three returning ones. The highly-requested River fromGears of War 2makes its return, along with theGears 4versions of Gridlock and Clocktower.
The new characters being added are a mix of old and new, but all are callbacks to the Locust War. Players can now select Dizzy, Tai, and the Locust Skourge fromGears of War 2, in addition toGears of War 3Anya and several Lambent Locust. As part of Hollow Storm’s launch, Gabe Diaz will become available for those who complete theGears Tacticstutorial. However,Gears Tacticsbeefy file sizemay discourage some players that otherwise don’t have enough space.
The class changes made to modes like Horde and Escape have big implications. Since launch,Gears 5classes have been attached to specific character models. In other words, players had to pick a specific character if they wanted to play a specific role. While this may seem like something fairly standard, Gearsgames have always allowed players to select any character. Now, from Hollow Storm onward, players can freely pair all characters along with any class.
TheGears of Warfranchise appears to be taking center-stage as Microsoft’s console exclusive, with bothGears TacticsandGears 5available on Xbox Game Pass. This seems like a sensible stand-in for what was supposed to beHalo Infinite, which recently lost its second directorin two years. With the Xbox Series X update, Hollow Storm update, and Game Pass availability, there’s never been a better time for gamers to get into the series.
Operation 5: Hollow Storm won’t be the last new content that players see. The Coalition recently confirmedlong-rumoredGears 5campaignDLC is coming soon, although it’s unclear if it’ll be free. The expansion, called “Hivebusters”, will center around the story of a new squad. Despite it releasing next month, further details about the 3-to-4 hour single-player story remain scarce.
The Hollow Storm update forGears 5is available now for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
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